Canonisation of Newman
This article first appeared in Scottish Catholic Observer on 11 October 2019
You would hardly think that getting on a bus at half past midnight in Bellshill to travel to Cofton Park in Birmingham and return to the same spot the following day around the same time could be described as one of the best 24 hours of your life. It is for me though. It was the Beatification of John Henry Newman in September 2010.
Before becoming the Headteacher at Cardinal Newman High School in 2002, I knew little about the patron, John Henry Cardinal Newman, other than his name and some vague notion about a connection to Vatican II. Yet here I am 17 years later writing about him, praying through him daily and using part of his cardinal motto in my professional work. I just can't shake off the impact he has had on me in my professional and personal life and now as I look forward to joining family, friends and the school in Rome next month for his canonisation, I share these thoughts with you.
People often wonder why a school in Lanarkshire was named in honour of a quintessentially Englishman, John Henry Newman. The name came about thanks to Monsignor Philip Flanagan, Parish Priest at nearby Sacred Heart. Monsignor Flanagan had chosen Newman for his doctoral thesis and had a lifelong admiration for the cardinal and interest in his writings. Monsignor Flanagan kept a magnificent library of works by and about John Henry, which he bequeathed to the school on his death in 1983. I ensured these books, together with the first-class relics of Newman the school possesses, could be treasured for generations to come.
It may surprise you that this Lanarkshire priest and John Henry Newman had much in common. They were both recognised scholars of their day and spent much of their lives in academic settings. However, they were also great religious men who in their later years devoted themselves to pastoral work. Monsignor Flanigan spent almost thirty-eight living and working in what could be regarded as the rarefied atmosphere of various colleges. He then became a parish priest in Motherwell Diocese and for sixteen years was a remarkable pastoral leader. The entry in the Scottish Catholic Directory after his death, noted that twenty years ago no-one would have prophesied that Flanagan would have been remembered in history as other than a most successful college priest but in fact he will be primarily remembered as a working priest who gave himself heart and soul for the ordinary people he served.
Newman was recognised as a leading theologian of his time. He too left the confines of academia after thirty years and in his twilight, years undertook a pastoral role. In his sermon at the Beatification of John Henry Newman, Pope Benedict said Newman “…lived out that profoundly human vision of priestly ministry in his devoted care for the people of Birmingham during the years that he spent at the Oratory he founded, visiting the sick and the poor, comforting the bereaved, caring for those in prison”[1]
As Newman himself said:
“I sought to hear the voice of God And climbed the topmost steeple, But God declared:
“Go down again – I dwell among the people.”
Newman is a most fitting patron for a Catholic School. Obviously, he was a leading figure in promoting education but is relevant as a school Parton Saint in the 21st Century? There are many answers to this and many scholars who have devoted tomes of work to exploring and exemplifying the meaning and impact of Newman.
As a Catholic educator my answers are simpler. Firstly, John Henry Newman exemplifies perseverance and resilience. In his poem, Snapdragon, a Riddle for a Flower Book, what first appears as a straightforward poem on the beauty of a sturdy flower, reveals the flowers tenacity to grow and flourish in stone man-built walls regardless of conditions around it. Tenacity – or resilience, perseverance, growth mindset are qualities to encourage in our young people in our schools.
Secondly, Newman’s promotion and encouragement of prayer is an essential ingredient in 21st Century schools. Newman talks of "a habit of prayer, the practice of turning to God” and helps us to understand what this means in our daily lives. He tells us that God has given a specific task to each one of us, a " definite service…. committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. " [2]
Finally, John Henry Newman is relevant today as he embodies courage. He had the courage, as a renowned leader of one church, to openly embrace and convert to another. The shock waves this caused in society and the impact on his health cannot be underestimated.
As headteacher I used the Newman quote - "Nothing would be done at all if one waited until one could do it so well that no one could find fault with it” as our tag line for curriculum for excellence – a kind of permission to have a go, take forward ideas and innovation. Newman continues “If we insist on being a sure as is conceivable.... we must be content to creep along the ground and never soar”. This type of courage is essential in the 21st Century.
I continue to work in educational leadership with Cor ad Cor. The name is taken from John Henry Newman’s cardinal motto and translates as “heart speaks to heart”. In our society we equate “heart” with love. However, other derivations associate it with courage. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one early form, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”
In working with others across education I am clear that our ‘Cor ad Cor’ is not about classic action hero courage but about speaking openly and honestly, professionally and personally, about who we are, how we are feeling and reaching out to others in our vulnerability and humanity.
I hope that John Henry Newman, on this the eve of his canonisation, would think that a fitting tribute.
Isabelle Boyd
Executive Director
Cor ad Cor Ltd
Former Headteacher of Cardinal Newman High School 2002 – 20013.
[1] https://www.bcos.org.uk/PapalVisit2010/PopeBenedictXVIsHomilyCoftonPark
[2] Meditations and Devotions, 301-2